WILL QUICKLY FORCE dramatically greater use of lake water than phase 1

Will dramatically increase the cost of water – groundwater much cheaper

4. Say NO to use of Lake Conroe beyond Phase 1

Sign the LCCN Petition to suspend groundwater restrictions; free up groundwater to meet major demands of county’s massive growth and SAVE THE LAKE

Rectify ALL of the core problems with existing groundwater management with FULL AND EQUAL PARTICIPATION of ALL county stakeholders. Lone Star’s current “Study” does not begin to touch what needs to be addressed and resolved.

THE PETITION

We, the undersigned, strongly request that the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District suspend the January 1, 2016 implementation of its District Regulatory Plan to provide the necessary time and the resources and to insure the employment of methods that engage the full participation of the community in determinations of each the following:

1.Separate capacities of each of the Montgomery County aquifers to continue safely contributing to the current and growing water needs of the county;

2.Economic viability, practicality and sustainability of alternative sources (including county surface water, non-county surface water transfer, new groundwater and water reuse) to resolve rapidly rising shortages in water supply (100,000 acre-ft/yr by 2030) resulting from impending groundwater restrictions coupled with exploding population growth (doubling by 2030) and

3.Role and effectiveness that conservation can and should play in limiting the use of both county surface and groundwater to that necessary for the community’s sustainable economic health and development.

Petition Deliveries

LCCN intends to present, deliver and discuss this petition on behalf of the representatives of the Montgomery County community that sign it.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

A: No it does not. In fact, it relieves SJRA of the stress of having to ramp up now to much larger scales (to meet demands of a population tripling in the Greater Lake Conroe Region in 15 years), making it easier for SJRA to focus on phase 1 – 20,000 ac-ft/yr (about 1 ft drawn down of the lake per year) that they are just now mechanically completing. At their phase I capacity, they become the largest single supplier of drinking water in the county.

As with most engineering projects, the final size of SJRA’s phase I facilities may some spare capacity. This not to be confused with the portion of the capacity that is needed to deliver 20,000 ac-ft/yr of water.

A: Montgomery County population is projected to reach 1 million people (about 400,000 more than today) by 2030 – a short span of only 15 years. That presents an unprecedented challenge to every facet of Montgomery County’s resources, including water. Creating a huge water shortage (90,000 ac-ft/yr by 2030) by restricting groundwater use would at the least complicate development and could well result in severe slowdowns. Pursuing a crash effort to make up forwater supply deficiency will likely put enormous stress on Lake Conroe and could well lead to severe instabilities/drops in lake level.

A: Montgomery County’s aquifer system (Gulf Coast Aquifer) is currently healthy and full of water. Unrestricted use of our aquifers for at least the next 15 years (the time we need to get through the massive ramp-up in population) will have no measurable impact on the sustainable health and storage of our groundwater system.

We share the Gulf Coast Aquifer system with many counties, most notably Harris, Fort Bend and Galveston. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that the portion of this aquifer system directly under Montgomery County stores recoverable reserves of between 45 and 135 million ac-ft of water. Harris, Fort Bend and Galveston counties add between 157 and 393 million ac-ft to this reserve. The Gulf Coast Aquifer system remains full despite heavy use by Harris, Fort Bend and Galveston counties for the last 60 years. So aquifer system replenishment has been sufficient to keep up with use. Montgomery County’s unrestricted use over the next 15 years is not expected to produce a net measurable change in Gulf Coast aquifer system storage.

A: The people who live in the northern half of Montgomery County – the Greater Lake Conroe Region (GLCR) – Map – will be the most impacted. Their population is scheduled to roughly triple in a short 15 years.

According to Lone Star, it will take a total of 154,000 ac-ft/yr (approximately 137 gal/day/capita) to satisfy total county water demands for a population of 1 million. Pending 2016 Groundwater Restrictions will create a shortage in supply of 90,000 ac-ft/yr. Lake Conroe is likely to have to supply most of that shortage – and do so within the very short span of the next 15 years. That will put the lake under unsustainable stress. Citizens of the GLCR are likely to experience dramatic water level drops – likely larger than the 8 ft experienced in the 2011 drought. Drier weather or drought will only make things worse. At their phase I operations SJRA says they will draw down 1 ft of the lake per years (20,000 ac-ft/yr). At that rate, they become the largest single supplier of drinking water in the county.

Background – LCCN Town Hall Meeting

LCCN kicked off its LCCN Petition drive with a major set of Town Hall Meetings in 4 venues all around the lake over two days (April 28 & 29, 2015). In those meetings, LCCN provided background and laid the basis for the signing of the petition. Nearly 500 people attended those Town Hall Meetings, For those who did not, below is a video of the presentation together with other pertinent information.